


Swede Revenge

by sassy_Tuukka_Time_Tantrum



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4109845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassy_Tuukka_Time_Tantrum/pseuds/sassy_Tuukka_Time_Tantrum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tuukka delivers an unhealthy dose of ball-busting to his Swedish teammates after Finland wins gold at the 2014 World Junior Championship in Sweden.  Which causes Loui Eriksson to get revenge in an unconventional manner, by infecting the Finn with strep throat.   (Takes place during a slightly AU 2013-2014 season)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Plot

**Author's Note:**

> I have this set in an AU 2013-2014 season with the 2013-2014 roster.

Loui Eriksson was annoyed. His only Finnish teammate, Tuukka Rask had been almost unbearable to deal with for the past few days. Finland had defeated Sweden for the gold medal at the World Junior Championship in Sweden and Tuukka had made sure the Swedes on the team were reminded of that multiple times a day. Saying things like: “How do you say gold medal in Sweden? Finland’s junior national team.”

Finally one day, after a game where Tuukka had sat as backup and peppered Loui and his fellow Swede Carl Soderberg with boasts about how Finland had a better team than Sweden for the entire game, Loui decided to do something in retaliation. After that particular game, Loui skated up to their backup goaltender, Chad Johnson, while Tuukka was busy goofing around with Shawn Thornton. 

"Let's take the Finn out of commission for a few days." Loui said.

“What do you mean?” Chad asked alarmed.

"We wouldn't hurt him,” Loui said, "Just make it so that he...won't feel up to playing for a few days."

"How would we do that?" Chad asked. He knew about what Tuukka had been doing to the Swedes on the team. And he had to admit, it had gotten pretty annoying. 

"I may or may not have a live strep culture at my disposal."

"Do....do I want to know why?"

"I have three daughters," Loui said, "You won't have to do anything and there’s no guaranty that he’ll come down with it.”

“I don’t know,” Chad said, “That sounds kinda mean and strep can get pretty bad.”

“Only if left untreated,” Loui said, “Which I don’t think will happen.” 

\--

"Tuukka would you mind watching my daughter for a bit?" Loui asked once the game had ended and most of them were getting ready to leave. 

"Sure," Tuukka responded as he picked the young girl up, "Media scrum?"

"Yeah," Loui said.

"Did you have fun today?" Tuukka asked. The girl nodded, "What was your favorite part of the game?" He asked

"When daddy scored." The girl responded.

"Oh yeah," Tuukka said, "Your daddy scores a lot."

"Did you score any goals today?" The girl asked.

"No I'm the goalie," Tuukka responded, "I try to stop the other team from scoring goals."

"You did a good job today," The girl said, "The other team had zero goals. Does the other team always score zero goals?"

"I wish," Tuukka responded, "Sometimes I let one in."

"Oh, I'm sure you do a good job those days too. Are you going to be playing with my daddy in the Olympics?"

"No, I'm gonna be playing against your daddy in the Olympics."

"What team are you playing for?"

"Finland," Tuukka responded preparing himself for whatever the girl was going to say.

"You're from Finland?" She asked, "But you're so friendly and nice. And I'm gonna tell you a secret," She whispered in Tuukka’s ear, "You're the coolest Finn I've ever met, Even cooler than Kari."

"I’m good friends with Kari," Tuukka responded.

"You know Kari!?" The girl asked, "He's nice too! I'm so lucky to know two nice Finns! Can you speak Swedish?" She asked, "Kari knows a little."

"Ah, not really," Tuukka said, "I don't really remember what I learned in school."

"That's okay," The girl said, "You speak English pretty good and that's all that matters."

"Hey are you being good for Tuukka?" Loui asked as he walked up to the pair.

"Daddy, he's from Finland and he's cool!" The girl said as Tuukka passed her to her father.

"Yeah Tuukka's pretty cool," Loui responded, hoping that the compliment wouldn't go to the Finn's head.

"He knows Kari too!" the girl exclaimed.

"She talked my ear off," Tuukka joked, "Be good for your dad, because he's pretty cool too."

"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed.

"Well come on time to go home," Loui said, "Have a good day Tuukks."

"You too Loui," Tuukka said, "It was nice to talk to you."

"Oh yeah," The girl said, "Have a good day!"

Once Loui and his daughter were out of earshot the girl turned to her father, "Daddy I don't feel good," She said in Swedish, "My throat really hurts."

"I know," Loui said, "We're gonna get you home now."

"Loui," Tuukka called causing Loui to freeze, "Your daughter dropped her glove."

"Thank you," The girl said as she took her glove, "Have a good night."

"Don't worry daddy," She said in Swedish after Tuukka walked away, "He doesn't remember much Swedish from school."

\--

"Tuukks you okay?" Patrice asked as Tuukka cleared his throat for the eighth or ninth time after practice the following day. 

"Yeah, I just have this weird feeling in my throat," Tuukka explained, "It might be nothing, but it might be a little cold. It is that time of year.”

“You should try to rest a little today in case you are coming down with something,” Patrice said, “We have a back-to-back this week.”

“Yeah I know.”

Loui smirked a little. His plan was going into motion perfectly.

"Tuukka's gonna wake up sick tomorrow isn't he?" Chad quietly asked the Swede.

"More than likely," Loui said, "This happened with all three of my daughters."

"Can't you at least warn him that he may be coming down with strep?"

"I don't want him to get suspicious," Loui said, "He'll find out soon enough."

“Are you going to tell him if he does end up sick?” Chad asked.

“Maybe,” Loui said, “It depends on how sick he gets.”

Chad sighed, “Don’t you think that possibly making him sick is a little extreme?” He asked, “I mean he was kinda crossing the line there but couldn’t you have done something that didn’t potentially involve an illness?”

“I could have,” Loui said, “But none of my girls feel like talking because their throats hurt so much and I want Tuukka to shut up for a few days.”

“Seriously though, I think you should at least give Tuukka a warning,” Chad said.

“Give me a warning about what?” Tuukka asked as he appeared next to Loui.

“That Sweden is going to get revenge at the Olympics,” Loui quickly praying that the Finn hadn’t heard the first part of the conversation.

“Pfff, bitch please,” Tuukka scoffed, “I’m gonna be in goal, and there’s no way I’m gonna lose to a bunch of Swedes.” 

“God I hope I score on you if we do meet at the Olympics,” Loui said as Chad sighed and shook his head.

“Whatever you say Swede.” Tuukka responded as he gave Loui a mocking pat on the back, “Whatever you say. Well, I have to get going. I’ll see you nerds tomorrow.” 

Shortly after Tuukka left the locker room, Chad looked at Loui, “I’m gonna have to agree with you a bit now,” He said, “There's being competitive then there's...well being a jerk. And Tuukka is being a jerk. ”

“You think?” Loui said, “He’s been like this all week. He’s a nice guy don’t get me wrong but he can be a total asshole when he wants to be. My secret is still safe with you right?”

“For the most part yeah,” Chad said, “I mean I’ll play dumb if he asks me and I won’t throw you under the bus. But I don’t want to have anything to do with it.”

“Sounds fair,” Loui said as he put his coat on, “I’ll see you tomorrow. I have three sick daughters that I need to help take care of.”

“Good luck.”


	2. Illness Strikes

The first thing Tuukka noticed when he woke up the next morning was how cold he was even though he was completely covered by his blankets. The second thing he noticed was the unbearable pain in his throat. He usually dealt with a sore throat whenever he came down with a cold, but it was never quite as bad as the one he had woken up to that morning.

He sat up to grab his phone and his head throbbed and spun, "What the fuck?" He whispered as he grabbed his phone. He knew he wouldn’t be able to call his girlfriend into the room with just his nearly non-existent voice. So he texted "Can you come to the bedroom?" to Jasmiina.

"What's wrong?" Jasmiina asked as she entered the room. She had a feeling that Tuukka was sick. He had gone to bed early the night before mentioning that he thought he might have been coming down with something. Tuukka also failed to wake up when his phone alarm went off, which only seemed to happen when he was either sick or hungover. And Jasmiina knew for a fact that Tuukka wasn't hungover.

"I need you to call the team for me," He whispered as he brought up the number and handed over his phone, "I really...don't feel well."

"You feel warm," Jasmiina said as she placed her hand on Tuukka’s forehead, "What do I tell them? You clearly have a fever but do you have any other symptoms?"

"Tell them that I have a fever, headache and bad sore throat." Tuukka whispered, “It hurts to talk…”

"Okay," Jasmiina said as she put the phone to her ear, "God I feel like a mother." She muttered, "And our little one hasn't been born yet." 

"Hi, this is Jasmiina," She said, "I’m calling because Tuukka woke up sick this morning. He has a fever, headache and sore throat. He can't exactly talk right now. Which is why I'm calling for him."

"Oh okay," She said after a short pause, "That's good to know. I'll probably take him to the doctor then. Thank you for letting me know about that. I'll call you back once I know what's going on."

She ended the call, "It turns out one of your teammates has tested positive for strep," She said. "So, you're going to get up, get dressed and you're going to go to the doctors. And these orders are coming from your trainer.”  
Tuukka groaned as he slowly sat up.

"I'll drive you if you don't feel well enough to."

"Please do," Tuukka muttered as his head spun.

\--

Chad was putting his gear on when Bob Essensa, the Bruins’ goaltending coach, sat down in Tuukka’s stall and started to put the Finn’s gear on.

“What’s going on?” Chad asked.

“Tuukka’s sick and won't be joining us for practice today,” Bob said, “His girlfriend called about twenty minutes ago to let us know. Because we don’t have enough time to call Svedberg up for practice, I’ll be taking his place today. From the sound of it, he may be out a few days.”

“That sucks,” Chad responded as he glared in the direction of Loui Eriksson, “I hope he’s okay.”

“It’s probably a cold,” Bob said, “I think I remember him telling me his throat felt weird yesterday.”

“But would a cold be enough to keep Tuukka home from practice?” Chad asked.

“Colds can get pretty bad,” Bob said, “And it’s better to be safe than sorry when you’re not feeling well. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow.”

\--

After practice Chad walked up to Loui, “Well, you got your revenge,” He said,   
“Tuukka’s sick.”

“So that’s why he wasn’t at practice today,” Loui said. 

“Did you really think Tuukka would miss a practice without a good reason?” Chad asked.

“I guess you’re right,” Loui said, “He’s hasn’t missed too many practices this season. But there’s no guarantee he has strep.”

“If he does have strep will you tell him how he got it?” Chad asked.

“Maybe,” Loui said, “Again, it depends how sick he gets.”

“There’s a good chance he’ll find out,” Chad said, “Tuukka isn’t stupid.”

“If he finds out he finds out,” Loui said, “He still won’t be able to prove it   
was on purpose.” 

Chad sighed, “Just remember Karma can be a bitch.”

“Not if it’s payback.” Loui said.

Chad just sighed as he bid the Swede good day.

\--

"Well Tuukka, you do have strep.” The doctor said once he was finished with the examination, “Stay home for the next forty-eight hours. Don't go to practice, don't go to tomorrow's game. If you’re feeling better you can go to the game the day after tomorrow. But if your fever isn't down in the next forty-eight hours take another twenty-four hours off. Make sure you finish the antibiotics even if you start feeling better. You can take Tylenol or Ibuprofen to deal with the fever and pain. If you're not feeling better when you’re done with the antibiotics come back.”

Tuukka nodded slightly.

"I'll contact the team to let them know what's up. I hope you feel better soon."

"So what's up?" Jasmiina asked as Tuukka walked back into the waiting room.

"I have strep," Tuukka muttered gruffly.

"Okay," Jasmiina said, "I'll go drop you off at home. Then I'll run to get your prescription and some soup and tea for you."

\--

"Do you want to rest in bed or on the couch?" Jasmiina asked as they got back to their home.

"I just want to sleep," Tuukka muttered.

"Okay," She said as she led Tuukka back to their bedroom.

Once Tuukka was settled back in bed under several blankets Jasmiina was about to leave when there was a knock at their door.

"Hey," Shawn greeted as Jasmiina answered the door, "I heard Tuukka was sick so I decided to drop by to see what was up."

"He has strep," Jasmiina said.

"That sucks," Shawn said, "Do you need me to help out or anything?"

"Tuukka is highly contagious right now," Jasmiina said, "You really shouldn't be around him."

"I'm a carrier for strep," Shawn said, "It can't make me sick."

"Could you stay here while I run out to get Tuukka his medication and some tea and soup?"

"Sure," Shawn said, "I take it he's sleeping?"

"Yeah. Thanks Shawn."

"No problem."

\--

Not too long after Tuukka had fallen asleep he was woken up when his cell phone went off. Knowing that it was probably someone from the team management he grabbed his phone. 

"Yes?" Tuukka answered in a rough, hoarse voice.

"Sorry to bother you while you're not feeling well Tuukka," Bruins’ assistant General Manager Don Sweeny said, "But I'm calling to inform you that we're going to place you on 48-hour injured reserve. The team doctor already called to let us know that you have strep so don't worry about the next two games. If you don’t show up for practice or morning skate on time in the next few days, then we’ll assume that you’re still sick. Just try to let us know if you’re going to need more than three days to recover."

"I will."

"Sorry to bother you and I hope you feel better soon Tuukka."

Tuukka sighed as the call ended and shut his eyes again. After twenty minutes of not being able to fall back to sleep he decided to see if the short walk to the couch would be enough to exhaust him again. As he entered his living room he found that his couch was already occupied by his close friend and teammate Shawn Thornton.

"What did you go and get yourself sick for, you stupid Finn?" Shawn asked.  
"What are you doing here?" Tuukka asked quietly.

"Babysitting a sick twenty-six year old," Shawn responded, “Per the request of his concerned girlfriend.”

"You're gonna get sick," Tuukka muttered, "You don't want this."

"I'm not gonna get this," Shawn said, "I'm immune to strep."

"I don't know how I ended up with strep," Tuukka muttered, "I haven't come into contact with anyone with strep."

"I think Loui mentioned one of his daughters was sick with strep."

"Loui?" Tuukka asked. Then his eyes snapped open and he put two and two together, "That fucking Swede!" He exclaimed wincing at the pain in his throat.

"What's going on?" Shawn asked.

"Loui had me hold one of his daughters the other night," Tuukka explained, "I bet that's how I got this.

He pulled his phone out of his sweatshirt pocket and dialed Loui's number.

"Hey Tuukka," Loui greeted, "I heard you weren't feeling well today. How are you feeling?"

"Do you happen to have a daughter with strep?" Tuukka asked ignoring the question.

"All three of my girls have strep," Loui said, "Why, do you have strep?"

"Yes," Tuukka said, "And I also remember you had me hold your daughter while you talked to the media the other night."

"We actually had no idea she was sick until yesterday afternoon." Loui said, "She was completely fine the other night. Why do you ask?" 

"I thought you having me hold a sick child was an elaborate plot to get me back for all the ball-busting I did when Finland beat Sweden in the World Juniors."

"Tuukka," Loui said breaking into a sweat, Tuukka had figured him out, "We're teammates. Why would I do that?"

"You're Swedish and I'm Finnish."

"We're teammates," Loui said, "If I had known my daughter had strep I wouldn't have brought her in the dressing room. I had no idea she was going to end up sick.”

Tuukka sighed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” He murmured, “She was talking my ear off so I guess she wasn’t sick yet.”

"Micaela just made some soup for our daughters do you want me to bring some to you?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Tuukka said, "But you're gonna try some before I eat any. I'm on to you Swede."

"Tuukka, I'm going to assume you're out of the question for tomorrow's game," Loui said.

"Yeah,” Tuukka responded.

"Why would I purposely make my team's starting goaltender sick a few days before we play a decent team? Why would I want to risk our chance to win," Loui asked, "I have nothing against Chad but your record against the Rangers is near perfect. Why would I want to take our starting goaltender out of action for a few days? Even if he was being an asshole?"

Tuukka sighed, "I guess you're right. I'll see you in a little while then?" He asked as Shawn went: "Ah so the ugly Swede's stopping by?"

"Is that Shawn?" Loui asked.

"Yes," Tuukka responded, "He's over too."

"Okay," Loui siad, "I'll see you both in a little bit."

Once Tuukka ended the call he turned to Shawn and gave him a look that said "Don't you dare start something with him because I don't feel well enough to deal with that."

"What makes you think I'm gonna start something with Loui?" Shawn asked.  
Tuukka sighed and shivered a bit.

"Are you cold?" Shawn asked.

Tuukka once again glared at him.

"I know, dumb question," Shawn said, "You're running a fever of course you're cold. I'll go get you a blanket. Um where do you keep the spare blankets again?"

Tuukka sighed, "I'll get one myself," He muttered as he stood up.

"You coulda just told me where they were," Shawn said as Tuukka returned with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"My throat is killing me and I didn't want to explain where they were." Tuukka responded.

"That's a good reason."

A little while later there was a knock at the door, "Could you get that?" Tuukka asked quietly.

"Okay," Shawn said as he stood up and opened the door, "Eh Loui! Did you come to play nursemaid too?"

"I brought Tuukka some soup to eat," Loui said, "I won't be staying long."  
Loui looked at Tuukka and he couldn't help but feel bad for the Finn. Tuukka looked completely miserable as he sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

"Do you want to eat some now or do you want me to put this in your fridge?" Loui asked indicating the container he had in his hand.

"I'll have some now," Tuukka responded in a quiet voice Loui had never heard from the Finn. He was always one of the loudest guys in the locker room and on the ice so it was odd for him to be talking in barely a whisper.

"Shawn you know where everything is in the kitchen go help him out," Tuukka muttered.

"Okay," Shawn said. He then snuck up behind the Swede and whispered, "So I heard you might have something to do with Tuukka's illness."

Loui jumped a bit and nearly dropped the container of soup on the floor. "One of my daughters caught strep at school," Loui said, "And it spread to almost the whole family. Even Micaela was sick with it a few days ago."

"Didn't you bring one of your daughters into the locker room the other day?" Shawn asked as he got a glass bowl out of one of the cupboards, "And didn't you have Tuukka hold her for a little bit?"

"We thought she was like me," Loui said, "She didn't show symptoms until yesterday."

"So you thought she was a carrier then," Shawn said, "And it wasn't an elaborate plot to get Tuukka back for all the gloating he did when Finland won the World Juniors."

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Loui responded, “We have a few tough games ahead of us, why would I jeopardize our chances of winning by purposefully making Tuukka sick?”

“You’re right,” Shawn said, “I mean there’s absolutely no way Tuukka will be feeling well enough to play tomorrow night. Plus he’ll still be contagious. I’m sure had you wanted to get him back you would have put a cup of water under his helmet before a game or put tape on his skate blades or something harmless. But, should I find out that this was an elaborate plot to get revenge, there will be consequences, you understand?”

“Yes,” Loui responded as the microwave beeped, “Do you happen to know if he has a tray somewhere?”

“Uh hold on. Hey Tuukks,” Shawn said as he turned towards the living room to see the goalie laying on the couch with his eyes closed, “Ah the poor kid’s dozing off. We’re just gonna have to look for one.”

“I feel kinda bad going through his cabinets,” Loui said.

“Eh, I do it all the time.” Shawn said as he found what he had been looking for, “Ah here we go!”

The two had just finished putting the soup and some ice water on the tray when Jasmiina returned. “Shawn how long has he been on the couch?” She asked as she entered the kitchen, “Oh hi Loui, I didn’t know you would be stopping by.”

“I heard Tuukka was sick with strep so I figured I bring him some of the soup Micaela made for our daughters.” Loui responded, “All three of them have strep.”

“That must be where he got it from,” Jasmiina said as she put the grocery bags down on the table, “He sounded so awful this morning. I felt bad when I had to get him out of bed to go to the doctor.”

“He still sounds awful,” Shawn said as he picked up the tray, “Hey Tuukka, your lunch is ready.”

“What were you guys talking about?” Tuukka asked quietly as he slowly sat up.

“Ah you know, hockey stuff,” Shawn said as he handed the tray to Tuukka, 

“Our game plan for tomorrow. Stuff you don’t have to worry about because you’re sick and won’t be playing.” Tuukka nodded a bit, “Eat what you can okay.” 

Loui sighed as he watched Tuukka struggle to eat the warm soup. Every time he would bring the spoon up to his mouth he would shut his eyes and wince in pain. 

“You would think they would give people with strep liquid medicine instead of these massive horse pills,” Shaw mused as he inspected the bottle of antibiotics, “I mean come on now. How is someone with a sore throat so bad they can barely stand to swallow their own spit supposed to swallow one of these monsters?”

“Oh, could you bring one of those to him please?” Jasmiina asked as she started to put the groceries away, “And some Tylenol too?”

“Is the Tylenol in the bathroom?” Shawn asked.

“Yeah, it’s in the closet on the top shelf.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to head home,” Loui said, “I told Micaela I wouldn’t be out long.”

“Okay,” Jasmiina said, “Thanks for bringing Tuukka some soup.”

“Hey Tuukk, I’m sorry to say this but you’re going to have to take all three of these” Shawn said as he placed the three pills on the tray, “I would suggest you take the biggest one first since it’s the antibiotic.”

Tuukka sighed as he picked up the large pill and the glass of water. “That was awful,” He muttered as the pain from swallowing the pill still showed on his pale face.

“You don’t have to take the other two if you don’t want,” Shawn said, 

“They’re just Tylenol. They’ll lower your fever and dull the pain for a while but if you want to give your throat a little bit of a rest before you try eating or drinking anything else that’s fine.”

“Maybe later,” Tuukka whispered, “I can’t right now.”

"Hey Tuukk I'm gonna head home," Loui said. Even if he wanted this to happen, he couldn't help but feel bad for the Finn. Tuukka was usually one of the most energetic guys on the team so it was quite difficult to see him look so incredibly exhausted.

Tuukka nodded, "Tell Micaela the soup was really good. Thanks for bringing it over."

"I will," Loui said, "Feel better Tuukka."

"I'm gonna head home too," Shawn said, "You need to rest."

Once Shawn and Loui had left, Tuukka handed his phone to Jasmiina, "Take any calls I get," He murmured, "I'm gonna sleep for a while."

"Okay," Jamiina said, "Try to sleep well."

\--

About half an hour after Tuukka had gone back to bed, his phone went off and Patrice Bergeron’s name came up on the caller ID.

"Hi Patrice," Jasmiina greeted.

"Hello Jasmiina," Patrice responded, "I heard Tuukka was sick. I just wanted to call and see how he was feeling."

"He's asleep right now," Jasmiina said, "He was diagnosed with strep this morning so he'll probably be sick for a few days."

"Tell him I hope he feels better soon," Patrice said, "He doesn't have to call me back if he's not feeling up to it."

"Alright," Jamiina said, "I'll let him know you called."


	3. Ice Cream and Children's Tylenol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the temperature readings in Celsius in this since it's probably what Tuukka and Jasmiina are used to. (And because I can't spell the other one for the life of me). But I do provide the conversions so anyone not familiar with Celsius doesn't have to try to figure it out on their own.

A few hours after she had gone to bed, Jasmiina woke up to Tuukka restlessly tossing and turning beside her. She sighed. She could feel the heat radiating off his body as he struggled to find a comfortable position. Eventually he settled on his back but to her dismay, his eyes were open.

"Tuukka," She whispered, "What’s wrong?”

“Can’t sleep…” He whimpered barely loud enough for her to hear, “My throat…”

"Take some Tylenol," She urged quietly, "You need to sleep. It'll help the pain and the fever."

"I'm keeping you up aren't I?" Tuukka asked quietly.

"Tuukka, that's not the point," She argued softly, "You're not going to feel any better if you don't get some sleep."

"I'm going to sleep in the guest room," Tuukka muttered as he slowly sat up, "You need to sleep as well."

Jasmiina sighed again, "I'm fine," She said after Tuukka had stood up, "Take some of the Tylenol PM we have in the bathroom and come back to bed."

"No, I'm keeping you up," Tuukka said, "I'll sleep in the guest room so you can sleep without having me wake you up."

"Fine," Jasmiina said, "Do what you want. I don't feel like arguing with you at two in the morning. But take some Tylenol so you can get some sleep too."

\--

Chad sighed as for the second day in a row Tuukka's stall was empty and vacant. While the extra goaltender stall was set up and occupied by one of the Providence Bruins goalies.

"Hey, what's up with Rask?" Niklas asked, "They called me up yesterday afternoon but they weren't sure what was up."

"I think I heard he has strep," Chad responded, "He'll be out a few more days if that's true."

"Who are we playing?" Niklas asked.

"We play the Rangers tonight and the Coyotes tomorrow," Chad responded, "I'll get the start tonight. Then if Tuukka still isn't feeling well tomorrow, you'll probably get the start for that game."

\--

"How are you feeling?" Jasmiina asked Tuukka the next morning when he finally walked into their living room.

"The same as yesterday," He muttered as he sat down on the couch.

"Were you able to sleep last night?" Jasmiina asked

"Not really," Tuukka responded, "I was still really uncomfortable after I went to the guest room and had trouble sleeping.” 

"Did you take Tylenol PM like I told you to?" Jasmiina asked.

"No," Tuukka responded, "My throat hurt too much to swallow anything."

Jasmiina sighed, "We're going to need to find a way for you to take Tylenol," She said, "You're not going to suffer a second sleepless night."  
Tuukka sighed and rested his head against the armrest.

A little while later his cell phone went off.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey Tuukk, it's Shawn. Bergy, the ugly Swede and I are going to come over after practice." Shawn blurted out before Tuukka could get a word in. "See you later!"

"What's wrong?" Jasmiina asked.

"Shawn, Bergy and Loui are stopping by later." Tuukka responded.

“Are you feeling up to visitors?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Tuukka responded, “It’s fine.” 

\--

After the morning skate Chad walked up to Loui, "I'm guessing since Tuukka missed a second practice in a row that he has strep."

"He does," Loui said, "I visited him yesterday and he was pretty sick. He could barely eat the soup I brought him. I felt kinda bad."

"Good, you should feel bad," Chad said, "You knew your daughter wasn't feeling well when you had Tuukka hold her."

"I brought him some soup though," Loui said, "That should make us even."

"No," Chad said, "You'll be even if you make sure we win every game Tuukka can't play for."

"If you don't, I'll tell him."

"Okay, okay."

"Hey Ugly Swede," Shawn called, "Bergy and I are gonna visit Tuukka after this and you're gonna come with."

"Is he even up for visitors?" Loui asked.

"I just called him," Shawn said, "He's still sick but he doesn't sound nearly as bad as he did yesterday."

"He said he's up to having a few visitors."

"Backup Tendy, do you want to come too?" Shawn asked

"I have a few errands to run before the game," Chad said, "And in case he's still contagious, it probably wouldn't be good if both of us ended up sick."

"Ah that's true we don’t need two sick goaltenders," Shawn said, "We'll tell him you said hi then."

\--

When the three players got to Tuukka's home, Tuukka was resting on his couch.

"Hey how you feeling?" Shawn asked, "You're looking a little better than you were yesterday."

"I’m feeling a little better," Tuukka said, "But my throat still hurts and I'm still running a fever."

“Here, I got you a little something,” Shawn said as he tossed a small box to the sick netminder.

Tuukka caught the box, “Children’s Tylenol?” He asked, “Are you serious?”

“They melt in the mouth,” Shawn said, “So you won’t have to worry about having to swallow them whole. I figured since you couldn’t swallow the adult Tylenol we gave you yesterday this would be easier to take.”

“But it’s for little kids,” Tuukka responded.

“It’s for six to eleven year olds,” Shawn said, “Just take like six of them. It’s the same medicine just a smaller dose.” 

“Hey Bergy, sorry I didn’t call you back,” Tuukka said, “I felt so sick yesterday I spent most of the day in bed.” 

"I figured," Patrice said, "Jasmiina explained that you had strep. I had a feeling you weren't feeling well enough to talk much.”

"Are you gonna watch the game tonight?" Shawn asked.

"I'm gonna try," Tuukka said, "There's no telling how I'm gonna feel tonight. I mean I feel okay right now. My sore throat isn't too bad and I'm not feeling too feverish. I still can't eat much though. The antibiotic is messing with my stomach and my throat still hurts too much. I'm still only able to eat soup broth. I tried to eat some toast this morning and I could only manage half a piece.”

"We won't stay long then," Patrice said, "We just stopped by to see how you were feeling."

"I might see you guys tomorrow," Tuukka said, "I was told that if I'm not feverish tomorrow I can attend the game. I can't play though, I'm on 48-hour IR."

"Why are you on injured reserve?" Shawn asked, "You're not hurt, you're just sick."

"Doctor's orders," Tuukka said, "I'm not allowed to leave my house until tomorrow at the earliest. And I'm not allowed to practice or play again until I've been fever-free for twenty-four hours. Which won't be tomorrow. Since I'm still running a fever."

"Is you temperature at least lower than it was yesterday?" Shawn asked.

"Not really," Tuukka said, "It's still thirty-eight point one (100.7 F)."

"You should take some of that medication I brought you," Shawn said, "It might make you feel a little better."

"Maybe later," Tuukka said, "I think I'm gonna go take a nap so maybe I'll be able to watch the whole game tonight."

"Okay," Shawn said, "In that case we're probably gonna leave. Feel better Tuukk, the rest of the team misses you. And your backup tendy and baby tendy say hi."

"Baby Tendy?" Tuukka asked.

"The kid they called up from Providence," Shawn said, "Svedberg I think his name is."

"Great another Swede," Tuukka muttered, "Oh well, he's a good kid and a good goalie. Tell everyone I say good luck tonight.”

“We will,” Shawn said, “Try to feel better. Eat some ice cream or something, I bet that would help.”

“You know we’re not really allowed to eat anything like that,” Tuukka said, “We don’t even have any ice cream. Even if we did have some, I’m not going to eat ice cream.”

“Is eating just broth enough for you?” Shawn asked.

“Not really,” Tuukka said, “But I can’t really swallow anything else.”

Shawn then looked at Jasmiina, “Get that man some goddamn ice cream,” he said pointing to Tuukka, “He needs it.” He then turned to Tuukka, “You need to eat something a little more filling than soup broth, and ice cream has just a little bit more sustenance to it. I don’t think you want to be out for longer than you have to. Whitesides isn’t going to care if you binge on ice cream for a few days while you’re sick. He is, however, going to care if you come back to practice weak from not eating enough. But hey that’s your decision. Have a good one.”

“Feel better Tuukks,” Patrice said, “Hope to see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks Bergy.”

“Hey Tuukka,” Loui started.

“What is it?” Tuukka muttered tiredly as he rested his head on the arm rest of the couch.

“Ah, I’ll tell you later,” Loui said, “Feel better.”

Once his teammates left, Tuukka turned to his girlfriend, “Take any calls I get,” he muttered a he gently tossed his cell phone towards her.

“Sleep well.”

Shortly after Patrice. Loui and Shawn left and shortly after Tuukka had fallen asleep on the couch, the netminder's phone went off.

"Hi Chris," Jasmiina answered.

"I heard Tuukks was sick and just wanted to check up on him," Chris said.

"The poor guy has strep and he really isn't feeling well. He's asleep right now."

"That sucks,” Chris said, "Do you need me to get anything for him?"

"Now that you mention it, would you mind picking up some of those single serve ice cream things?” Jasmiina asked after she walked into another room in case Tuukka was still trying to fall asleep, “He's still having a hard time eating solid food because of his throat and hasn't had much to eat today. I don't want him to end up weak from not eating."

"Yeah sure," Chris said, "Any particular flavors?"

"Plain vanilla and coffee if they have it is fine. He normally tries to avoid things like ice cream. But I don't think your trainers will mind if he cheats a bit."

"Eh, Marchy cheats all the time and no one really cares," Chris said, "And if you said he hasn't really been eating they're not really going to care what he eats. They're just gonna want to make sure he eats something."

"Just don't let Tuukka know I had you get him ice cream if he's awake when you stop by."

"Do you want me to get some popsicles too?" Chris asked.

"No, we still have some from the last time one of us was sick. We just don't have any of the flavors he likes. He can get kinda picky."

"Oh I know," Chris said, "I've seen that happen. He threw a mini tantrum during practice once because Marchy took the last bottle of the "good" Gatorade. The two bickered the entire practice so finally I took it from them and dumped it out. And I told them what I told my daughters, "if you can't share nicely with each other neither of you can have it." The rest of the team cheered afterwards."

"He's such a kid sometimes." Jasmiina sighed.

"I'll see you in a little bit then?"

"Yeah."

\--

About a half hour later Tuukka's received a text from Chris: "I'm here."

"I didn't want to knock or ring your doorbell in case Tuukka was still asleep," Chirs said as Jasmiina let him in.

"Thanks," Jasmiina said as she took the bag, "Yeah he's still asleep."

Chris looked over at the sleeping netminder, "I take it he'll be watching the game from here tonight then."

"Yeah," Jasmiina said, "He's still too sick to go anywhere today. He might be able to go to tomorrow's game depending on how he's feeling. He won't be able to play though."

"Yeah I heard he was put on injured reserve." Chris said.

"What do I owe you for the ice cream?"

"Don't worry about it," Chris said, "I'll have Tuukka pay me back once he's feeling better."

"Are you sure?"

"He makes like what seven million a year?" Chris said, "I don't think three dollars for ice cream is going to break him."

“That’s true.”

"He owes me anyway," Chris said, "A few of us went on a coffee run and he forgot his wallet so I covered the cost of his coffee. And he never paid me back."

"Please tell me it was a Dunkin coffee and not something crazy expensive."

"It was a Dunkin coffee." Chris responded, "I'll just tell him the ice cream was more expensive than it was. Tell Tuukks..."

"Tell me what?" Tuukka muttered groggily.

"That I hope you feel better." Chris said praying that Tuukka hadn't heard what they had been talking about it.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were feeling," Chris said, "Plus Jasmiina asked me to pick up some honey for you."

"I thought we had honey."

"We ran out this morning."

"Oh," Tuukka muttered as he shut his eyes again, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Chris said, “Did we wake you up?”

“No,” Tuukka responded, “Stupid internal alarm clock didn’t get the memo that I’m sick.”

“Yeah, that can suck sometimes,” Chris said, “Just wait until your little one comes along. You’ll end up with another biological alarm clock. And those usually scream. But it’s all worth it.” Tuukka nodded, “Well, I’m gonna get going. I need to prepare for tonight’s game and you need to rest. Feel better Tuukka.”

"I'll fucking try."

“Wake me up at game time if I’m not already awake.” Tuukka muttered just before drifting off to sleep again. 

\--

Around six-thirty in the evening, Jasmiina placed her hand on her sleeping boyfriend's shoulder, "Hey Tuukka," she called softly in his ear.

Tuukka stirred a bit then opened his eyes, "What is it?" He moaned.

"It's almost game time," She said, "And I think you should try to eat a little something. You slept through lunch. Do you want to eat something?" She asked

"Yeah," Tuukka responded, "I'll try to eat a little something again."

"Okay. Do you want chicken and rice soup or something with a thicker broth like steak and vegetable?"

"Chicken and rice," Tuukka muttered, "My throat is pretty bad again."

Jasmiina sighed and hoped that tonight would be the last bad night Tuukka had. "Here you go," She said as she place the bowl of soup and a glass of ice water on the small collapsible table that was set up in front of Tuukka, "Eat what you can."

Tuukka nodded. Jasmiina sighed as she, once again, had to watch Tuukka struggle to eat. After not even half the bowl, Tuukka rested his head on the couch armrest.  
"Are you done?"

Tuukka nodded and Jasmiina sighed. She had to resist the urge to lecture him about not eating because she knew how much pain he was in.

"Do you want Tylenol?" Jasmiina asked.

"Not right now," Tuukka muttered, "Maybe closer to bedtime."

“For those of you at home wondering where Tuukka Rask is, well, he’s not here tonight,” Jack Edwards said after he announced the starting goaltenders for the game, “The team announced earlier today that Rask is home sick with a nasty little illness called strep throat. So, if you happen to be watching, hi Tuukka! Everyone here hopes you feel better soon. But uh, don’t come back to work too soon though, none of us want what you have. Some of us need our throats to be in perfect working order to get a pay check.”

“Is he always like that?” Tuukka asked.

“Yeah,” Jasmiina answered, “He’s usually like that. That wasn’t the worst thing I’ve heard him say in regards to you.” 

“Do I even want to know?” Tuukka asked.

“It depends,” Jasmiina responded.

“Tell me another time,” Tuukka muttered.

About half an hour after Tuukka attempted to eat again, he shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

What's wrong?" Jasmiina asked.

"I'm lightheaded." Tuukka muttered.

Jasmiina sighed, "I have an idea," she said as she walked into the kitchen. When she walked into living room and placed something on the armrest. "Eat this."

Tuukka opened his eyes, "Ice cream?" He asked, "When did you buy ice cream?"

"I had Chris Kelly bring some." Jasmiina said, “It’s either this or at least two of the popsicles we have in the freezer.”

“But all the flavors we have suck,” Tuukka whined.

“Well, eat the ice cream then,” Jasmiina said, “And you won’t have to worry about that. You get so whiny when you’re sick. It’s like you turn into a six year only when you’re not feeling well.”

Tuukka sighed as he sat up and grabbed the ice cream. He sighed as he took a small bite of the ice cream and to his surprise, it didn't hurt his throat. The cold ice cream had a soothing effect on his painful throat. When he finished the ice cream. He handed the container to Jasmiina, "Is there another one?"

“What happened to mister: “I don’t want any ice cream?”” Jasmiina asked.

“It helped okay.” Tuukka murmured like a scolded child.

“There’s another one,” Jasmiina said, “Do you want another vanilla or a coffee one?”

“Coffee,” Tuukka responded.

Shortly after finishing the second single-serve ice cream cup, Tuukka slowly fell asleep.

\--

Once the game had ended, Jasmiina placed her hand on Tuukka's shoulder, "Hey Tuukka," She called softly for the second time that night. He slowly opened his eyes, "The game's over."

"Did we win?" He muttered groggily.

"Yeah," Jasmiina said as she placed her hand to Tuukka's clammy forehead, "Loui tied the game with ten seconds, then he scored the game winner ten seconds into overtime."

"Two goals in twenty seconds huh?" Tuukka muttered, "That stupid Swede."

"I think you should go to bed now," Jasmiina said, "That way, maybe you'll feel a little better tomorrow."

"Oh I fucking hope so," Tuukka muttered, "I don't think I can take this any longer."

"I know, it sucks. Just rest as much as you can. You'll feel better in a few days."

"What happens if you get it though?" Tuukka asked, "You can't really avoid being around me and you know..."

"I'll go for a strep test tomorrow just to be safe. And I'll let you know if I start feeling sick okay."

Tuukka nodded, "If you do get sick I can take another day or two off. I'm probably not going to be ready to practice for a few more days even if I do start to feel better."

"We'll deal with that if it happens. But for now, you should go to bed." Tuukka nodded and sat up. "Don't forget to take the antibiotic, I don't think you want to be sick for any longer than you have to. Take your temperature as well. I want to know what it is."

A few minutes later Tuukka returned to the living room still wincing in pain from having to take the antibiotic. "It's thirty-eight point five (101.4 F)," He muttered.

"That's still high," Jasmiina muttered as she spied the box of chewable children's Tylenol that was sitting on the end table. "Here," She said after checking the dosage instructions then handed the box to Tuukka, "Take six or seven of these."

Tuukka managed to muster up a weak "are you kidding me" look.

"It's like Shawn said, it's the same medication but it's just a smaller dose. Humor me please, you were in so much pain last night you didn't sleep well. I don't want that to happen again."

Tuukka sighed and did what he was told before retreating back to his bed, where it took him less than ten minutes to fall asleep for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, the average dose for the type of children's Tylenol Shawn brings for Tuukka is about 160 mg per pill. So six would be about 960 mg which is just under what a typical "adult" dose would be (1000 mg, about 500 mg per pill)
> 
> Also for the non-New Englanders: a "Dunkin Coffee" is a coffee from Dunkin Donuts.


	4. The Truth Comes Out

Before Loui left his house for morning skate his daughter was sitting on the couch watching the Bruins game from the night before.

“Daddy is the nice Finn playing goalie?” She asked.

“No, Tuukka wasn’t the goalie last night.” Loui said.

“Why not?” The young girl asked.

“Well he can’t play every night,” Loui said, “He would get really tired if he had to play in every game.” 

“For those of you at home wondering where Tuukka Rask is, well, he’s not here tonight,” Jack Edwards said in his commentary, “The team announced earlier today that Rask is home sick with a nasty little illness called strep throat.”

“Daddy,” The girl said, “Is Tuukka Rask the nice Finn?” 

“Yes,” Loui responded fearful of what his daughter was about to ask him. 

“Is he sick with what I have?” 

“Yes.”

"Did he get sick because he held me the other day?"

Loui sighed, sometimes his daughter was too smart for her own good, "Yes."

“Did you at least tell him I was sick the day you took me to the game?” 

“No,” Loui responded, “I didn’t tell him you were sick that day.”

“Why not?” The girl asked, “You shoulda told him! You knew that he was gonna get sick but you didn’t warn him first? That’s mean! You gotta tell him you’re sorry!”

“I will,” Loui said, “I’ll tell him at practice today.”

“Promise?” The girl said.

“Promise.” Loui said.

\--

Chad sighed when, despite the fact that Tuukka's stall was all set up, the Finn was still nowhere to be seen.

"No Tuukka again?" Niklas asked.

"Apparently not," Chad sighed, "He's never this late."

A few minutes later Claude walked up to the two goaltenders, "Niklas, do you want to start in goal tonight?" He asked.

"Rask isn't going to play tonight?" Niklas asked.

"He's on injured reserve," Claude said, "He won’t be eligible to play tonight.”

“I’ll play,” Niklas said, “Who are we playing?”

“The Coyotes,” Claude responded, “You can change your mind later if you want.”

“Eh, don’t worry,” Shawn said, “The Coyotes aren’t a tough team.”

“When will Rask return?” Niklas asked.

“He was supposed to come back to practice today,” Claude said, “But his girlfriend called a little while ago and said that Tuukka wasn’t going to be awake in time for practice. She didn’t want to wake him and didn’t know if he’s still sick or not. So he’s excused from practice today.” 

"Man how bad does he have strep?" Chad asked after Claude walked away.

"Oh he had it bad," Shawn said, "He was barely able to eat it was so bad. He was still pretty sick yesterday when we visited."

"I visited him yesterday too and he slept almost the entire time I was there," Chris said.

"Why did you go over?" Shawn asked.

"Jasmiina asked me to buy him some ice cream," Chris said.

"I wonder if the stubborn shit actually listened to me and ate some," Shawn said, "Jasmiina listened to me. I told her to get Tuukks some ice cream."

"What is this about ice cream?" John Whitesides asked as he approached the small group, “I hope we’re not cheating.” 

"We were just talking about how we had been giving Tuukka suggestions on how to feel a little better." Shawn said, "Just about all of us suggested ice cream."

"Tuukka has strep right?" Whitesides asked.

"Yeah," Shawn responded.

"Ice Cream and soup are about all he should be eating right now," Whitesides said. "If you see or talk to him before I do, tell him to eat all the ice cream he wants. I'm not going to hold it against him."

"Hold on," Shawn said as he pulled his phone out, "I'll text him your instructions. 'Whitey said eat as much fucking ice cream as you want.' He also said, don't worry, he'll make you work it off when you come back to practice. Maybe." Shawn added.

"Alright guys, enough messing around," Whitesides said, "Get out on the ice."

\--

Tuukka woke up feeling better than he had felt for the past few days. He didn't have a pounding headache or chills. His throat was still a little sore, but it was a pain he could deal with. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and before he even noticed the text he had from Shawn he noticed the time. And he was about two hours late for practice. "Shit!" He hissed as he quickly sat up.

"Relax, I already called the team to tell them you weren't going to go to practice again." Jasmiina said.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Tuukka asked.

"You went to bed with a fever of thirty-eight point five degrees (101.4) last night," She responded, "I was going to let you sleep for as long as you needed to. How are you feeling today?" 

"Better," Tuukka responded, "I still have a bit of a sore throat but I think I can deal with this one."

"You sound a lot better," Jasmiina said as she placed her hand to Tuukka's forehead, "You should still take your temperature, but you don't feel warm. You got a text message a little while ago."

"It's from Shawn," Tuukka said as he got out of bed, "According to him Whitesides said I should "eat as much fucking ice cream as I want." And he'll "make me work it off the next time I practice...maybe."

"See?" Jasmiina said, "He wasn't going to hold it against you. Oh and I did go for a strep test before you woke up, and I tested negative for it. I was also told that if I haven’t gotten sick by now, I’m probably not going to get sick."

"That's good," Tuukka said.

"Do you want something to eat?" Jasmiina asked, "It's just about lunch time. So do you want breakfast or lunch?"

"What I normally have for lunch is fine," Tuukka said, "But I'm gonna take a shower first."

"Okay, I'll have your lunch ready when you're done. Just take your medication."

Tuukka sighed, "I will."

"I'm sorry, I just want to make sure you don't relapse. I don't think you want to deal with that again."

"No, I don't," Tuukka said, "I'm pretty sure that was the worst illness I've had in a while. I'll take a stomach bug over that shit."

\--

When Loui got back from practice he was greeted by his daughter.

“Did you tell the nice Finn that you were sorry?” She asked.

“No, I wasn’t able to.” Loui answered.

“Why not?”

“He’s still not feeling well and stayed home again today.”

“You are gonna tell him right?”

“I’ll tell him the next time I see him.”

“You had BETTER!”

\-- 

“How’s your throat?” Jasmiina asked as Tuukka finished his lunch.

“Not bad,” Tuukka said, “It still hurts a little but it’s nothing like the pain I’ve been in for the past two days.”

“What about your temperature?” Jasmiina asked.

“It’s a little higher than normal,” Tuukka said, “It was thirty-seven point one (99.0).” 

“That’s not bad seeing you had a fever of thirty-eight point five when you went to bed last night.” Jasmiina said, “Are you going to go to the game tonight?”

“That’s the plan,” Tuukka said, “I mean I’m feeling okay right now but I’m not sure how I’ll be feeling later. I’m still kinda tired. So I’ll have to see how I’m feeling later on. I didn’t wake you up or anything last night did I?” 

“No, you didn’t.” Jasmiina responded, “Why, did you have another bad night?” 

“No, I slept well despite how sick I felt last night,” Tuukka said, “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t wake you up.” 

“You were sound asleep when I went to bed,” Jasmiina said, “And you didn’t even stir when I got up this morning.”

Several minutes later Tuukka’s phone went off. “Hey Shawn,” He answered.

“Hey Tuukks,” Shawn said, “How are you feeling today?”

“Not bad,” Tuukka said, “My fever is finally down and my throat doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did yesterday.”

“That’s good,” Shawn said, “You sound a lot better. We missed you at morning skate today.”

“I woke up around 11:30 this morning,” Tuukka said, “Jamiina wasn’t sure if I was still sick or not and she didn’t want to wake me up.” 

“Smart girl,” Shawn said, “You can get pretty nasty when you get woken up.” 

“I also had a high fever when I went to bed,” Tuukka said, “She wanted to let me sleep for as long as I needed to. I also have to thank you for bringing me that Tylenol yesterday, it really helped.”

“You actually took some?” Shawn said, “And you thought I was crazy for bringing it for you.”

“Jasmiina kinda forced me to take it.” 

“Tell her I said good girl,” Shawn said, “Are you coming to the game tonight?” 

“As of right now yeah,” Tuukka said, “I mean I’m feeling a lot better today. But I’m still tired and I don’t know how I’m going to be feeling later on.” 

“Well in that case, I’m gonna be your ride to the game,” Shawn said, “Since you’re probably gonna get hella tired later, Bergy and I kinda decided that if you were feeling well enough to go to the game that one of us would drive you. I ended up “winning” that honor since Bergy didn’t want to fight me for it. Does that sound alright to you?” 

“Yeah,” Tuukka said, “That sounds good.” 

“That’s good because I was going to drive you to the game whether you were okay with it or not,” Shawn said, “So I’ll come by around 4:30. I’ll see you then.” 

“Alright.” Tuukka responded, “See you later.”

“What was that all about?” Jasmiina asked.

“Shawn’s driving me to the game,” Tuukka said, “He’ll come to get me around 4:30.”

\--

"Eh! Look who I brought!" Shawn called as ushered Tuukka into the dressing room, "Tuukka's back!"

"How are you feeling?" Chad asked as Tuukka sat at his empty stall.

"Not bad," Tuukka said, "Not quite one hundred percent yet but about one hundred times better than I've felt the last two days."

"Were you able to watch the game last night?" Chad asked.

"I actually slept through most of it," Tuukka said, "I think we had been down by a goal when fell asleep."

“We weren’t sure if we were going to see you tonight or not,” Chad said, “We were told this morning that you still weren’t feeling well.”

“I didn’t wake up until almost eleven thirty this morning,” Tuukka said, “My girlfriend wasn’t sure if I was still sick or not so she said I still wasn’t feeling well. So who’s getting the start?”

“I am,” Niklas said.

“Nice,” Tuukka said, “Second NHL game huh? You’ll do great.”

“Thanks,” Niklas responded.

“Hey Tuukka, you’re not gonna infect all of us are you?” Brad asked.

“I’m not contagious anymore,” Tuukka responded, “I wouldn’t be here if I was.”

“Just making sure,” Brad said, “A star scorer can’t really afford to take a few sick days the way a goalie can.” 

“Are you saying you’re more important than me?” Tuukka asked.

“Maybe I am,” Brad said, “A lot has changed in the time you were out.” 

“I was out two days,” Tuukka said, “And missed one game. What the hell changed in that amount of time? Who pumped your tires up?” 

“Did you watch yesterday’s game?” Brad asked, “I set up Loui’s game winner.” 

“But you didn’t score it,” Tuukka said, “It was Loui’s goal.” 

“Eh it’s okay, you’re a goalie you wouldn’t understand it,” Brad said. 

“Fuck you,” Tuukka said, “Well, good luck to everyone but Marchy. I’m going up to the press box.” 

“Fuck you too Tuukka!”

\--

Towards the end of the second period, Chris Kelly, Matt Bartkowski and Dennis Seidenberg all noticed that Tuukka had shut his eyes and put his head down on the counter in front of them.

"Is he okay?' Matt asked quietly.

"He's probably still tired," Chris said, "It might take a few more days for him to feel one hundred percent again."

"He's not still contagious is he?"

"No," Chris said, "He's been on an antibiotic long enough. He also wouldn't be here if he was still contagious."

"Do you think he might still be feeling sick?" Matt asked.

"It's possible," Chris said, "But I think he might just be tired. For now just let him rest until the end of intermission."

\--

Towards the end on intermission Chris put his hand on Tuukka's shoulder "Tuukka." Tuukka's head jerked up and he inhaled sharply as if he had been startled awake. "The third period is starting, it's time to wake up now."

"I wasn't asleep," Tuukka responded tiredly.

"You were snoring," Seidenberg said with a slight smirk.

"No, I wasn't," Tuukka snapped while turning bright red.

"I'm just kidding."

"Are you feeling okay?" Chris asked.

"I'm just tired," Tuukka responded, "In the past two days I was already in bed for the night by this time."

"Strep can take a lot out of you," Chris said.

"You're telling me," Tuukka said, "I think I slept more than I was awake the past two days." He then pulled a cough drop out of his jacket pocket and put it in his mouth.

"Does your throat still hurt?" Matt asked.

"A little bit," Tuukka said, "It's not nearly as bad as it's been though.”

"When are you coming back to practice?" Matt asked.

"Probably tomorrow," Tuukka responded, "Unless Jasmiina ends up sick."

"If she hasn't gotten sick yet she probably won't," Chris said, "She's been exposed to it since the day before you got sick. Strep takes about two days to show symptoms."

"She went for a strep test today and she tested negative for it," Tuukka explained, "But there's still a chance she'll get it."

"You're so cute worrying about your girlfriend," Seidenberg commented causing Tuukka to once again turn a healthy shade of pink. "It's not a bad thing." Seidenberg continued.

"Well, I mean she took care of me while I was sick. So I want to do the same if she gets sick." Tuukka said "Granted, she told me I was acting like a six year old at one point."

"That's about normal for you," Chris said, "Remember the Gatorade incident from a few weeks back?"

"Shut up," Tuukka said as he rubbed his eyes and forehead a bit.

"Headache Tuukka?"

"Yeah," Tuukka responded, "And I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open."

"You don't really feel warm," Chris said as he put the back of his hand to Tuukka's forehead, "If you are still feverish it's probably very low grade. You might want to see if someone will drive you home tonight."

"Shawn drove me here," Tuukka said, "Saying, "you're probably gonna get hella tired later so I'm your ride to the game." And there's no arguing with him."

“That’s true,” Chris said.

"Can you wake me if I start dozing off again?" Tuukka asked.

"Yeah."

\--

"So Tuukks, were you able to stay awake tonight?" Shawn asked.

"No, he fell asleep," Seidenberg said before Tuukka could answer, "He was snoring and everything."

"No, I wasn't," Tuukka snapped, "I was just resting my eyes."

“I’m kidding.” 

"Are you ready to go home now?" Shawn said, "You seem a little grumpy."

"I'm tired," Tuukka whined, "And they've been making fun of me."

"God you really do turn into a six year old," Chris said.

"Yeah but he's our twenty-six year old six year old," Shawn said.

"Hey, what was up with Loui?" Tuukka asked.

"He went off saying he tweaked something," Chad said as he joined the conversation, "But I don't know, he looked a little pale."

"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later." Shawn said.

"Hey," Tuukka said as he tapped Svedberg on the shoulder, "Congrats. You did good out there."

"Thanks," Niklas said, "I was a little nervous, but Shawn was right, it wasn’t a hard game. It's good that you're starting to feel better."

"Thanks," Tuukka responded, "I'll probably see you tomorrow. I don't think I'll do any on ice work tomorrow. So you'll probably practice with the team in my place.” He then felt his phone go off, “That fucking Swede!” He exclaimed a few moments later.

“What’s wrong?” Shawn asked.

Tuukka showed Shawn, Chad and Niklas the text that said: “I have to apologize to you. I knew my daughter was sick the other day. She guilt tripped me into confessing when she found out you got sick too. I wanted to tell you this at morning skate but you didn’t come to morning skate. We can talk about it the next time we’re both at practice.”

“I’m gonna second your “that fucking Swede,”” Shawn said, “Where is he? He and I are going to have some words.”

“Why the fuck can’t we talk about it now?” Tuukka messaged back.

“I took myself out of the game during the second period,” Loui responded, “I’m not feeling that great and I’m already home.” 

“You’re lucky you’re not here,” Tuukka messaged, “Shawn’s about to fight you.”

“If I am getting sick can we call a truce?” Loui asked.

“It’ll be an eye for an eye thing if you do get sick so I guess,” Tuukka messaged, “I’ll tell Shawn to back off.”

“Thanks Tuukks,” Loui messaged, “Have a good night.”

“You too, feel better.” Tuukka responded. 

“So what’s up with the ugly Swede?” Shawn asked, “Where is he?”

“He said he isn’t feeling well,” Tuukka said, “And he’s already home. He said we would talk the next time we’re both at practice.”

“He’s lucky he isn’t here,” Shawn said, “Probably snuck out a back exit while none of us were looking.” 

“I also told him I’d tell you to back off,” Tuukka said, “This is between Loui and I.” 

“Fair enough,” Shawn said as Tuukka yawned, “And I think it’s about time I get you home. You look exhausted. Have a good night everyone. I need to get Tuukka home, it's passed his bedtime and he's getting pretty cranky. We'll see you all tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who's gonna have the last laugh with the whole strep thing? Will it be Loui or will it be Tuukka?


End file.
